Process for the production of compressed fodder mixtures



Patented Dec. 3, 1940 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF COM- PRESSED FODDER MIXTURES Max Zentz and Fritz Noll, Munich, Germany No Drawing. Application March 20, 1939, Serial No. 263,093. In Germany March 21, 1938 Claims. (C'l. 99-8) The present invention relates to a process for the shape of the pressing boss and on the pressthe production of compressed fodder mixtures, ing speed. particularly suitable for feeding domestic and Naturally, the humidity of the raw material breeding animals as well as fishes. Compressing makes the latter more or less suitable for press- 5 of fodder is not new in itself. But hitherto, the ing. It is advisable to use material with a hu- '5 material used for the production of such commidity of to 20% by weight (preferably 12% pressed fodder had to be prepared carefully, conto 16%). i sisting in sufiicient'cleaning and in the first place It has been found to be an advantage if at grinding. A binding material was required, for least one of the ingredients of the compressed 10 which purpose fat was used in the first place. fodder is glutinous. 10

The product obtained in this way was exceed- Grain with a natural content of gluten will imingly hard and could only be made in the form of prove the cohesion of the ready compressed cake. artificial grains or small cubes. But there are no considerable quantities of gluten Hitherto, vegetable raw materials, such as required, and it is even possible to use material straw, hay, grain or the like, were not used in which is practically free from gluten if a suitable their original state for producing compressed pressure is applied with a corresponding pressing fodder. When this material is compressed, the speed and at an appropriate temperature. cake formed will soon fall to pieces again, espe- The cohesion of the compressed cakes may, as cially owing to the fact that the material is still stated, be influenced by regulating the pressing 2U breathing and expands after being pressed. temperature. If slightly heated, the compressed 20 It was surprising to find that vegetable raw cakes become harder, whereas, by cold pressing, materials of every kind in a coarse-crushed state the products obtained are softer. It must be can be formed into compressed cakes that keep avoided to heat the material up to 60 or 80 C., well if the material is subjected to an extraordias is usual in pressing brown coal briquettes, in

' narily high pressure of about 700 to 1500 atmosorder to prevent a loss in albumin or any other pheres. In this case no other binding material harm to the raw material. Temperatures of beis required to hold the cake together, the protween about 5 and or even 40 C. are adduced briquettes keeping their shape for a pracmissible.

tically unlimited period. As raw materials for producing the new bri- 30 The new briquettes can be produced with any quettes all kinds of substances can be used, for 30 known type of pressing device, provided the menexample preferably chaff, chopped straw, hay, tioned pressure can be obtained. But a briquette oats and other grain, bark, potato flakes, lucerne, press, such as is used for making coal-briquettes, yeast, and other agricultural products.

7 has proved to be particularly suitable. These As mentioned, the materials may be used in briquette presses not only have the advantage their natural state without being crushed, for ex- 35 of an extraordinary working capacity, but the ample the oat used for preparing horse fodder pressing operation is at the same time divided should not be crushed beforehand. In spite of into various stages, the material being first subtheir smooth surface, these materials hold toiected to the pressure of the die and subsequently, gether after being pressed in the described manwhen being discharged by the boss of the pressner. The ready briquettes have a smooth, almost 4 ing head, pressed once more on all sides. This vitreous surface and show an excellent cohesion. division of the pressing operation is very favour- By carefully regulating the temperature and the able for the cohesion of the ready briquette. filling weight it is possible to produce the bri- It is advisable to adjust these presses so as to quettes in such a way that a larger number adrun with a speed of about 60 to 70 revolutions heres to each other with the pressed surface. 45

per minute and to discharge about every second Thus, compressed cakes of practically any deone briquette in the shape and size of a normal sired size can be obtained which, for feeding purbrown coal briquette. Such a working speed of poses, can easily be broken by hand. Hitherto, the press has been found to comply with the bindthe production of such large compressed cakes 5o ing power of the organic material, though, accordwas quite impossible. The smaller the pieces are,

ing to the kind and state of the raw material, the which are obtained in breaking the larger comshape of the pressing boss, etc., it may be pospressed pieces or individual briquettes, the easier sible to adjust the press to a greater or smaller it is to further break the broken pieces. This working speed. The cohesion of the obtained behaviour doubtlessly contrasts with the propercompressed cakes depends in a certain degree on ties of the usual compressed substances. The 55 new briquettes also have the advantage that, in breaking them, no dust fiies about which, as is known, is bad for the animals to be fed. W

By the new process, in the first place the volume of the raw material is reduced 5 to 6 times, which is of definite importance for storing purposes. As the filling chamber of the briquette press should preferably have a length of about 30 cm., briquettes of about 5 cm. thickness are obtained. This reduction in volume is at the same time of decisive importance for transport, storage and packing purposes. In addition there is the further advantage that the briquettes produced by the new process are of practically unlimited durability. After the pressing operation the material expands but very slightly and only within the first 24 hours withoutimpairing the cohesion of the compressed cakes. No addition of any preserving substance is required. The durability of the new compressed fodder under all ordinary influences is excellent without any preservative. When stored in ordinary air, no fermentation nor mould is occasioned even in the summer. Also storing under frost does not change the cohesion of the briquettes. Elven storing for longer periods at temperatures much below C. (freezing point) does not lead to bursting of the cake. As in producing the new material the individual ingredients are not destroyed by crushing before or during the pressing operation, the quality of the compressed fodder is practically unchanged, as compared with the raw material, especially retaining the same appetizing smell of hay, straw, and the like, as the fresh materials. When breaking the briquettes, the individual raw ingredients are well distributed and unbroken, clearly visible, arranged at the side of each other. Consequently, the digestibility of the new material is excellent, as has been proved by careful feeding experiments.

All these properties make the new material extraordinarily suitable as a preserve fodder. The material also offers the special advantage that it can be easily packed owing to its small volume.

When using the new material for feeding fishes, it has the great advantage that the compressed material is soaked and dissolved very slowly in water. Therefore, it does not sink to the ground by far as rapidly as the usual fodder which soon after spraying on the Water surface serves to feed only the few fishes living on the ground of the water and which is lost for the majority of the fishes moving in a medium depth.

Another advantage of the new material is that the compressed form prevents wasting of raw materials. For example, when grain is fed to the animals in the poultry-yard, a large quantity of the fodder is buried in the ground. This cannot occur when compressed fodder is used, and the picking of the grains from the compressed cake does not cause any difficulties.

It was not expected that the individual ingredients, of which the new fodder is composed, would not be destroyed by the extraordinarily high pressures applied, and that, although they are retained in their original state, there is an excellent cohesion of the material even when stored for longer periods. This fact was all the more surprising, as the application of such high pressures as 100, 300 and more atmospheres does not ensure any cohesion at all. On the other hand, hitherto it was thought that it would not be possible to produce preserved fodder that will keep without destroying the breathing of the natural material by chemical preservatives.

Of course, the new process is not confined to the production of briquettes, as it is also possible to make any other desired pressed shapes of the raw material according to the process of the invention.

What we claim, is:

1. A process for the production of compressed mixed fodder comprising mixing uncrushed grains such as oats with bulky vegetable material such as hay, chopped straw, or lucerne, and compressing said mixture under a pressure of 700 to 1500 atmospheres at a temperature not substantially exceeding 35- C.

2. A process for the production of compressed mixed fodder comprising mixing uncrushed grains such as oats with bulky vegetable material such as hay, chopped straw, or lucerne, bringing said mixture to a humidity content of 10 to 20% and compressing said mixture under a pressure of 700 to 1500atmospheres at a temperature not substantially exceeding 35 C.

3. A process for the production of compressed mixed fodder comprising mixing uncrushed grain such as oats, with bulky vegetable material such as hay, chopped straw, or lucerne, adding flaky vegetable substances such as potato fiakes and compressing said mixture under a pressure of '700 to 1500 atmospheres at a temperature not substantially exceeding 35 C. v

4. A process for the production of compressed mixed fodder comprising mixing uncrushed grain such as cats, with bulky vegetable material such as hay, chopped straw, or lucerne, adding fiaky vegetable substances such as potato flakes bring said mixture to a humidity content of 10 to 20% and compressing said mixture under a pressure of 700 to 1500 atmospheres at a temperature not substantially exceeding 35 C.

5. A process for the production of compressed mixed fodder comprising mixing uncrushed grains such as cats with bulky vegetable material such as hay, chopped straw, or lucerne, and compressing said mixture under a pressure of 700 to 1500 atmospheres at a temperature not substantially exceeding 35 C. to an endless string on a string press breaking up parts of this string into individual pieces.

MAX ZENTZ. FRITZ NOLL. 

